Mumbai: An Air India flight bound for Delhi aborted its take-off at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Tuesday night after air traffic control (ATC) instructed the crew to halt the departure because another aircraft was still on the runway.
The incident occurred at around 9.40 pm when Air India flight AI816 had entered Runway 27 and begun its take-off roll. An Air India Express flight from Bagdogra had landed moments earlier and had not yet vacated the runway, according to aviation sources.
ATC orders immediate take-off abort
Air India confirmed that the flight crew immediately complied with ATC instructions and safely discontinued the take-off before returning the aircraft to the bay.
“The crew operating flight AI816 from Mumbai to Delhi on July 7 discontinued the take-off run after receiving an instruction to do so from the Air Traffic Control and returned to the bay,” an Air India spokesperson said.
The airline added that the aircraft would undergo mandatory inspections in line with standard operating procedures before being cleared for further operations.
Two aircraft were on the same runway
According to sources, Air India Express flight AIX1547, arriving from Bagdogra near Siliguri, had landed but was still on Runway 27 when the Delhi-bound Air India aircraft began preparing for departure.
Flight AI816 was scheduled to operate using a Boeing 777-300ER wide-body aircraft, while Air India Express flight AIX1547 was operated using a Boeing 737 MAX 8.
The timely intervention by air traffic controllers ensured that the departing aircraft halted its take-off safely, preventing a potentially serious runway incident.
Alternative arrangements for passengers
Air India said it was making alternative arrangements to fly affected passengers to Delhi at the earliest after the aircraft was withdrawn for mandatory technical checks.
The incident is expected to be reviewed as part of routine aviation safety procedures, with authorities likely to examine the sequence of events that led to the runway conflict
